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Matthew Lillard Thought He Was “Never Going To Work Again” After ‘Scooby-Doo 2’ Flopped


With his return to 'Five Nights at Freddy's 2' next year, Matthew Lillard recalled how the 'Scooby-Doo' sequel nearly ended his career.

Lillard first appeared as Shaggy in the 2002 live-action adaptation of the 1969 cartoon, alongside Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne Blake, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred Jones and Linda Cardellini as Velma Dinkley. Although Monsters Unleashed also premiered atop the box office, it earned more than $90 million less than the original, ultimately prompting Warner Bros. to cancel a planned sequel. After appearing in Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Life of Chuck, expected in summer 2025, Lillard can next be seen reprising his role as William Afton in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, premiering Dec. 5, 2025 in theaters.

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